Introducing the team who are here to help you shape the housing service

As the housing service is run for you – our tenants and leaseholders – it is important that you can tell us about the issues that matter to you and your neighbours and put forward your suggestions on how we can improve the service for everyone.

The members of the team cover different areas of the city, providing support to local Residents, Leaseholders and Tenants Associations that operate across Southampton.

• Lepsa Stojkovic, Team Leader manages the Tenant Participation and Engagement Team
• Debbie Collis, Tenant Engagement Officer covers the west side of the city
• Michael Farleigh, Tenant Engagement Officer covers the east side of the city
• Ian Mitchell is Junior Neighbourhood Warden Coordinator

Check our interactive online map to see if there is a Residents and Tenants Association in your local area, or ask us for support if you would like to establish a group in your neighbourhood. We can help you and your neighbours set up a formal Association and can also assist you to apply for grants to fund new equipment or resources to benefit your local community. Many of our existing Residents Associations have received funding for projects including community gardens, common rooms, lunch clubs and other social activities. Check out next month’s issue of Tenants’ Link for a report on one successful Tenant Association that is celebrating its 20^th anniversary of bringing neighbours together!

Our Tenant Participation and Engagement team also helps to organise several formal groups and panels that meet regularly to provide opportunities for you to make your voice heard and feed back straight to senior management. These include:

• The Repairs Panel - to tell us how we can improve the repairs and maintenance service
• The Tenant Resource Group - to look at how the housing budget is spent
• The Tenant Scrutiny Panel - to challenge us on whether the Housing Service is meeting targets

If you don’t want to join a formal group, you can volunteer as a Tenant Inspector to put our services under the spotlight or sign up as a Street or Block Rep to raise concerns in your neighbourhood.

For more details about getting involved and working with us to improve your local area and have your say on the housing service, please email our Tenant Engagement Team, call 023 8083 3185, contact your Local Housing Office or complete our online form.